Wardrobe Management

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Lessons from My Outfit Journal – Maxi Dresses

I didn’t think I would post another “Lessons from my Outfit Journal” installment so soon, but here’s another one right away.   I wanted to do a second post this week, but I’ve been going through a lot of physical and emotional challenges as of late and I just didn’t have it in me to write about anything else today.   But these outfit journal posts are relatively easy to write and seem to be popular with readers, so here goes.

Outfit journal entries

What percentage of your outfits do you absolutely love?

A few people mentioned that they like that I’m highlighting themes in these posts, so I will stick to that approach.   Since spring is upon us and it’s getting warmer outside, I decided to take a look at some of my maxi-dress outfits from last summer and fall (we have warm autumns where I live).

As in my last post, I will share the outfits in the order of my preference, from least favorite to most favorite today (which won’t necessarily reflect my original ratings).   I will highlight where I wore the ensemble, how I felt about it, and what I’d change (if anything) in the future, as well as any follow-on thoughts I’ve had since the outfit journal entry was made.

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Lessons from My Outfit Journal – Slimmer-Fitting Jeans

I can’t believe it’s been close to two months since I shared the last post in my “Lessons from my Outfit Journal” series (see the two previous installments here and here).   I have been keeping my outfit journal since July 2014 (more on why and how here) and have been learning a great deal about my wardrobe and style preferences since that time.

Style journal

Keeping an outfit journal has really helped me improve my style.

One of the things I’ve learned recently is that I now prefer wearing slimmer styles of jeans over the wider-legged jeans that were my mainstay for years.   In today’s post, I share four looks that feature boyfriend style and straight-legged jeans.   While I’m not a fan of true skinny jeans for comfort reasons (I have varicose veins and a painful nerve condition), I have embraced these two new styles in addition to my boot-cut stand-bys.   I show the outfits from least to most favorite and share my outfit ratings, where I went, my thoughts about each look, and what I would change in the future (if anything).

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First Quarter 2015 Wardrobe Wrap-Up

I know I wrote in my last post that I would be sharing more “lessons from my outfit journal” this week, but I realized that I had more I wanted to say about my wardrobe and my “Love it, Wear It” Challenge (LIWI).   So the outfit photos and journal entries will have to wait until next week instead.

In today’s post, I’m going to reflect back on how my shopping and wardrobe management has progressed so far this year.  One quarter of the year is behind us, so this is a good time to pause and reflect on what is and isn’t working for us.  Having periodic check-ins with ourselves can help increase our self-awareness and enable us to build upon what we’ve learned and avoid making mistakes.

I’m going to share what I’ve purchased this year and what I’ve passed on, as well as how I feel about both of these groups of items.   I’m also going to spend a bit of time looking at my jewelry and accessories and what has yet to be worn in 2015.  It’s my hope that my reflections will help you make similar analyses with your own wardrobes so you can better achieve your wardrobe and shopping goals.

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March “Love It, Wear It” Challenge Update

I just completed the third month of my “Love It, Wear It” Wardrobe Challenge (LIWI), so it’s time for another update.  Here’s a quick reminder of how the challenge works (read more here)…  The idea is to create a “working closet” by moving everything I actually wear into a specific area of my closet.   I will only wear what I really want to wear and anything that is uncomfortable, fussy, or no longer my style will be passed on for donation or consignment.

Love It, Wear It Challenge

The objectives for the challenge are to wear what I love and to have the right types of clothing, shoes, and accessories for my life.   By “my life,” I mean the life that I am actually living in the here and now, not an imagined, wished for, or previous lifestyle.

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What to Do With Your Closet Cast-Offs

I’ve written quite a bit about how to pare down an overly large wardrobe (see here and here for some of my best suggestions on this topic), but I don’t think I’ve given too much attention to what to do with our clothing cast-offs.   Today’s post outlines some suggestions for how to best move these items on to a new home.

Dealing with closet cast-offs

Are you unsure what to do with the clothing items you’ve culled?

First, an Important Point about Guilt…

Before I cover my specific suggestions, I’d like to cover one important point. A lot of times, our primary reason for holding on to clothing we no longer love is guilt. We feel guilty for having spent money on items that we have rarely or never worn. We may also experience remorse for not having used gifts that were given to us by loved ones. But such feelings cannot bring back lost dollars or push us to love things that we simply do not.

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